It Is What We Make Of It
by Letterbomb
Summary: Two young women dragged into Middle Earth by accident, waking up on the dirty ground in the middle of Rohan. What seems to be a dream come true developes into a real nightmare in no time as our heroines Amber and Leigh witness the cruelties of the ringwar. Bound to stay in Rohan, they have to keep the knowledge they have about Middle Earth a secret. No '10th walker', slight AU.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One: The Disadvantages Of Not Knowing Where You Are

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**DISCLAIMER: **Unfortunately, none of the characters are mine. They belong to the great Master Tolkien. Except Leigh and Amber. Those two are the result of my genius. 8D

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**Author's Note: **Well, this is my first piece of fictional writing in quite a while, it might not as good as it could be, I still have to get a little warm with all that... Please, be warned, that this is a "People from the real world get to Middle Earth"-story. If you don't like that sort of thing, den turn around now, this is not meant for you. If you enjoy this sort of story, then welcome! :) I'm open for any kind of constructive criticism or anything else that helps me improve my writing. I have to mention, I'm not a native speaker of the English language. If something sounds wrong, please tell me. Also, if you detect anything strange about the plot or the characters. In general, I'll stick to the movie verse but, if it is called for, I will add some details from the book that the movies where missing. My own little interpretation, if you want to say that. ;) Now, have fun! :)

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She did not know how long she had lain there on the ground, face down in the dirt and dry grass in her mouth. It must have been a while as her toes where frozen in her black sneakers and where hurting badly when she tried to wiggle them. The rest of her body was sore and she did not want to move a single inch. Her head was pounding like someone hit it with a solid hammer Blinking a few times, Amber opened her eyes, her sight completely blurry. She could not make out much of her surroundings, just a clear blue sky above her and a lot of green-brownish grass in her close range of sight. The cold breeze stirring the air made her shiver as she slowly put her hands beside her aching torso, then gathering all the strength that was left in her to push herself up with arms feeling like jelly.

"Where the hell are we?" a hoarse voice right next to her whispered. Amber slowly turned her head, blinked a few times more to steady her vision and saw Leigh, her best friend since childhood days, sprawled out on her back on the dirty ground, eyes closed, breathing slowly, her rusty-brown curls covering half of her face. Leigh did not want to move a muscle in her body as she knew it would send immediate pain through all of her limbs. She had already tried that one. Not very succesful, apparently.

"I don't have the slightest bit of an idea..." Amber said, her voice sounding hoarse as well and absolutely dry. "I don't even know what's going on."

Slowly she tried to get up, her legs still shaky and unstable, feeling like she had run for a long time without resting, her muscles longing for oxygen. Surveying their surroundings, Amber could see nothing but a very vast landscape with lush, brownish-green, tall grassland. In the distance, only a few miles though, was a wide mountain range with snowy tops, covering up the horizon. But apart from that there was simply nothing. Nothing but rocks and grass as far as the eye could see.

"Well... that's definitely not Boston anymore", Leigh said suddenly standing next to her friend, dusting off her jeans and the dark blue hoodie she wore. "Those mountains look more like straight from New Zealand, if anything", she chuckled slightly, then turning around looking for any sign of human civilization. But there was none. Just miles and miles of grass and rocks.

Amber let out an unsatisfied grunt running her hand through her light brown hair. Usually the tresses reached down to the mid of her back in light waves but now it was just a mess, covered in dirt and ruffled from the strong wind.

"Yeah. Sure. New Zealand. More like my aunt's ranch in the middle of Kansas."

Hugging herself did not help to keep the cold wind from crawling under her maroon sweater and she balanced on the balls of her cold feet to get something like motion into her stiff limbs. It did not work very well, and after a few minutes of going up and down, Amber gave up, pulling the hems of her sleeve over her already numb fingers. They stood there in silence for a few more moments, both of them sorting their thoughts out, slowly, but still being confused after attempting to as there was only one question lingering in the air.

"Do you remember anything?" Leigh suddenly asked looking down on her friend with furrowed brows. "Like, before everything went black? Did you remember guys dressed in black press rags drenched in chloroform on your face?" Her eyes looked helpless as she was still not able to comprehend the situation, Amber just shrugged.

"Nah... I just wanted to take a sip of that delicious, creamy, warm and sweet hot chocolate before I blacked out. No ninjas involved", Amber told her, shaking her head slightly. That she had actually heard a deep voice in her head, shouting in a foreign and strange-sounding language was a thing she did not want to tell her friend so bluntly as this was already crazy enough. What Amber did not know was, that Leigh had heard the same thing as she did, being as silent about it as she was. Only crazy people hear strange voices, right?

"You know", Leigh suddenly said, straightening up, hands on her hips, "I guess this is a dream and, yeah, you are not the real Amber. I'll just stick with the dream protocol and do what I want as this is way to absurd." With that she turned on her heels and started walking. Amber looked baffled, not knowing what to make of what her friend just said as everything felt way too real to be a dream. And if this was a dream of Leigh how could she herself act and think so freely? Deep inside, though, both girls knew perfectly well, that this was not a dream. That this was reality. Reality on a really remote place of their home planet called Earth.

"Argh! Leigh! Wait!" Amber let out a frustrated yell, starting to catch up with her friend who had started walking, heading for the mountains. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I thought _somewhere_! It's better moving around than sit there and do nothing", Leigh yelled, her voice sounding somewhat hysterical. "I mean, we don't even know where we are, not to speak of how we got here! Maybe someone did kidnap us and dropped us in the middle of Kansas or whatever! Maybe we'll stumble across youre aunt Helen's ranch soon!"

Amber did not reply to that. She continued to walk behind her friend who started to walk faster, with big steps and with apparently no real plan in mind. Leigh was a tall girl almost five feet and eight inches, with a strongly built body. Not plump or chubby, but rather curvy. With her long and strong legs it was easy for her to outrun her friend Amber, being barely five feet and four inches, her body rather average than athletic, with soft curves and a chest that was a little too big for her own liking. And nothing compared to the stamina Leigh had built up over the years with horseback riding and Kick-boxing.

Leigh was the sporty one of them, Amber a full-grown couch potato. That was the only thing they did not have in common. Just by looking at them, one could easily tell, that Leigh with her lightly tanned skin was more of an outdoor person than Amber, whose skin seemed white, almost translucent when standing in direct sunlight.

"We should seek some shelter. I mean, the sun is starting to set and when it's dark we'll freeze our asses off," Leigh said, suddenly stopping in her tracks, looking around frantically but there was nothing they could use as shelter. Nothing but grass and rocks for miles and miles.

"We're going to die! We're going to freeze to death or get eaten by... wild animals!" Amber whined and she dropped on her knees. "We don't even have our coats in this freaking weather!" Rolling her eyes Leigh gripped her arm, pulling her back up.

"No, we won't die, you big baby. Come on already!"

They continued walking for another two hours and Leigh seemed to head straight for the mountains. It was already late in the afternoon when they dropped underneath a ledge, being out of breath and entirely exhausted.

"I think we should stay here," Leigh said with a look around, "this is as good as it can get." Amber's retort was an unladylike snort as she was too out of breath to form articulate words.

"Yeah... awesome", she grunted and tried to get comfortable, pulling her knees up to her body and hugging them tightly to give the wind as little surface as possible. Leigh closed her eyes, trying to stay calm.

"Look, I'm as scared and confused as you are, okay? I want to go home, too, sleep in my bed, take a hot shower and eat something warm", she then said quietly through gritted teeth, "but we have to try and make the best of it, until we find out where we are and how to get home." They then sat in silence for a few moments, only the wind could be heard wafting around their shelter.

They just wanted to enjoy a nice hot chocolate at a local coffee shop, talking about men, their studies, their friends and family. Amber and Leigh had known each other since middle school, Leigh being a year older than 23-year old Amber. The two girls became friends immediately, sharing the same interests as fantasy novels and movies, playing computer games and read comic books. Over the years they became the best of friends, or, how they always liked to put it, sisters in mind. That didn't change when they both started University, Leigh enrolling in Psychology and Amber going for English Literature and they barely had time to spend with each other, finding new friends and having a hard time navigating their way around on campus.

Sitting down in their favorite seats on one of those days they actually find the time to meet, two large moss-green armchairs on a window giving a good view on the people walking about, they started chatting casually, as everything suddenly went blurry. Amber could recall hearing that strange voice while feeling dizzy, not being able to get a grip of her surroundings anymore. All sounds were suddenly muffled, only the voice echoing in her head. Then, everything went black and they both woke up in this vast landscape, with aching bones and freezing toes, no clue whatsoever, not knowing where they were or how they got there.

"I'm sorry, Leigh", Amber suddenly said, her eyes closed, "this is just a little too much for me..." Her friend let out a deep sigh.

"For me too, Amb. For me too..."

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It was almost sundown, the sky turning a bright shade of purple and deep orange, when Leigh suddenly jumped out of their shelter looking into the distance with wide eyes. She had not just imagined things, there was movement on the horizon, coming from the direction of the mountains.

"Amber! Get up, there are people!" she yelled, yanking her friend up who had just dozed off in the most comfortable place she could find.

"People?" Amber mumbled, rubbing her weary eyes and squinting them together to also look at the small group in the distance. Leigh was right. Slowly progressing was a group of people on...

"...horses?" she said, giving her friend a questioning look. "They are on horses?"

Leigh shook her head in utter confusion, noticing a green banner waving in the middle of the party. They must have noticed the young women, as the riders now approached them directly, leading their horses in their direction.

"I think they noticed us," Amber said, voice low, "and I don't know if that's good..." Leigh nodded in agreement, eyeing the approaching men suspiciously. As they rode closer, Amber and Leigh could make out more and more details. They where all men riding strong horses, about twenty of them. They were wearing armor made of sturdy leather, with chain mail underneath and strong and dirty leather boots. The forest green cloaks around their shoulders where flying behind them and Long shaggy hair came out from underneath their helmets, most of them carried spears in their hand, heavy-looking swords on their sides and shields strapped onto their backs, some where carrying bow and arrows instead. The leader of the party wore an even more solid-looking dark brown armor with carefully crafted dirty silver ornaments and a knee-length hauberk. On his head sat a fitting helmet with a plume of cream-colored horsehair.

Both of the girls suddenly froze as an oddly familiar sensation washed over them both while more and more of the riders came into clear view. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Do you think the same thing as I do?" Leigh whispered, not daring to raise her voice any more. Amber slowly nodded.

"I guess we interrupted some Lord of the Rings LARPers dressed up as Rohirrim," Amber said, her voice also hushed, "but at least they're human beings and are able to take us to the next city."

The party of riders started to encircle them as they got close enough, Amber and Leigh stood in the middle, back to back, staring in shock at the sharp tips of a dozen spears suddenly pointed in their direction. A strong sense of déjà-vu gripped both of them as they looked upon those serious men. Suddenly, none of the both of them seemed to believe in those men being Lord of the Rings LARPers anymore. The aura around them felt way to serious. Breaking through the circle, the leader stopped right in front of them, his horse larger than the others, with a grey coat and braids in his dark mane. The horse whickered, but the noise was overcast with the loud voice of its rider.

"What are you doing in our lands, women? Speak!" he shouted, eyeing them with a firm look and furrowed brows. His dark brown eyes glimmered belligerent and not only Amber had the feeling of having already seen this man somewhere. But being addressed so harsh and unfriendly, Leigh could not help but frown at the man, icy blue eyes piercing through his firm gaze, shooting back a reply, her voice as cold as it could be. Amber raised an eyebrow.

"Get that stick out of your ass and come down from that high horse you're on," the tall woman hissed, "or I'll make ya." The man looked at her, bewilderment showing on his face.

"You speak words I do not understand, in a tone I do not like, woman," he said through gritted teeth, bending down slightly, "and if you can not convince me of being a harmless traveller and not one of the enemies' spies, I will gladly aid you in getting rid of that wicked tongue of yours."

Leigh gulped down audibly and Amber shot her a terrified look, grass-green eyes opened as wide as possible, telling her inaudibly to shut her trap. This man meant serious business! She planned on playing this game as long as they were not sure on what was going on, so she cleared her throat and looked up to him.

"My lord, we are travellers and got lost on our way," she said, her tone sounded pleading. Leigh looked at her out of the corners of her eye. Somehow this situation was beyond unreal and Leigh could not imagine, that these men were doing this for the sole purpose of being authentic in the role they played. Apart from the leader looking like the image of a certain horselord from Rohan. But, well, that was just plain ridiculous

"Travellers, you say? From where?" he demanded to know, the suspicion still lingering in his eyes. These women where not what they seemed to be, with their tight pants, looking like leggings in a fabric he did not now, and tunics with strange writings on them, hoods sewn to the back.

"Boston, My Lord. United States of America," Amber said, "and we got lost and don't know where we are."

"Boston? I have never heard of a place sounding so strange," the man shot back, making Amber flinch back a little. The men around them started murmuring with each other, looking at the girls as they where not from this world.

"But... where are we? How come you have never heard of the US?" Amber asked, staring to sound desperate and being tired of those games. All she wanted was to go home. Go home, take a bath, eat mom's chicken broth with noodles and watch TV. That's what she wanted. Not being trapped in this Lord of the Rings-nightmare.

The leader looked at them and confusion made way across his features. Never had he heard of such a strange place where women wore pants as casually as men, speaking in a strange dialect unfamiliar to the ears of him and his men.

"You are here in Rohan, land of the horselords, ruled by King Théoden."

He had barely finished as Leigh started cracking up laughing. This was just too much for her and her already mushy brain. Suddenly, the group fell silent, only the quiet huffing of the horses could be heard. Slightly shocked from what she just heard, but amused at the same time, Amber looked at her friend, who almost doubled over from laughing.

"Woah dude, stop it now, okay?" Leigh said, shaking her head, still laughing, wiping some tears from her eyes. "Just tell us where we are and maybe give us a ride back to the next town, will ya? We're freezing and we didn't have something decent to eat in a while, too." The leading man on his grey horse looked bewildered first, but then the expression of pure anger crawled over his face.

"Tie them up and take them to Aldburg", he yelled and two of his men jumped down their horses and grabbed the two women. Amber let out a small scream, Leigh just stared at her friend, her face in shock. Ropes were wrapped around their wrists and their ankles, then they were thrown ruggedly on horseback, face down.

"What the hell are you doing, you crazy freak! LET ME DOWN!" Amber screamed, wiggling in front of the man who threw her onto his horse. "STOP THIS SHIT RIGHT NOW!"

With a weary look the leader turned to the two men who had tied up the young women. They looked quite flustered, as they did not expect that sort of resistance as Amber and Leigh displayed just now. The leader let out a deep sigh.

"And gag them."

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Reviews are an author's best friend! :)


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two – Quantum Physics in Middle Earth

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**DISCLAIMER: **Again, nothing is mine! Except the two lovely ladies. ;)

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**Author's Note:** Hello there! I'd like to thank you for the first Follow, Favorites and Review! A special Thanks to the two reviewers, **quaff** and **Paradox Tremors**! I really appreciate that you left my a short note saying that you liked it! It's really encouraging! Here is chapter two of this fanfiction madness! Now, have fun with chapter two! :)

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Amber started to feel nauseous from the constant up and down caused by the movement of the horse she had been thrown on. She had always had the tendency to get carsick, but this madness was on a whole new level. Her hands where swinging on one side of the horse, her legs on the other, both tied up tightly and a dirty rag in her mouth to keep her silent. The only thing she could see was the muddy-brown fur of the horse that carried her, or occasionally leather straps from the gear it was wearing but Amber decided to keep her eyes shut, not wanting to see anything. Feeling as scared as she had never been in her whole life, she silently started to cry, tears rolling steadily over her forehead and into her hair as she was still upside down, only secured by one firm hand of the soldier that had put her in front of him.

Leigh did not do any better. She tried to get a look around, but did not manage to do so, as she lay on the horse in the same position as her friend, not being able to do much in the situation she was in. Her stomach hurt and she felt as her ribs were bruised all over as her torso was slamming against the hard rims of the saddle now and then. A mixture of anger and fear raged inside her head and Leigh could not decide what she should feel more clearly, the fury of being manhandled in such a way or the fear of what was going to happen to herself and Amber as it was still unclear.

What was clear to them both about this situation was the seriousness about their situation and that it had nothing to do with roleplaying. It was real. As real as it could get. As real as being dragged into Middle Earth could actually get. And the leader of the party was most likely to be Éomer son of Éomund and the third Marshal of the Mark. During the ride to Aldburg, which took a good four hours, the young women, independently from each other, came to the conclusion that they had actually been brought to Middle Earth by some sort of magic. It was the only explanation which fit the situation they where in, even if it was more than unreal. And it would explain everything that had happened so far, from the coffee shop to being manhandled by Rohirrim. Even if it was more dreamlike as things like these do not happen in reality.

Coming to this conclusion, Leigh started to giggle somewhat hysterically, despite the situation she was in. Because, it could not be. She could not be in Middle Earth. Not in reality. And still, a nagging voice in the back of her head told her, that it was true. That there was no denying. Everything felt way too real to be a dream or such. And there was no mistaking that they were treated as enemies of Rohan, a fact that brought cold sweat to break out on her forehead. Leigh knew, that this was dangerous and so did Amber. Amber knew this world and their inhabitants inside out because of the studies she did for some coursework at university. And as far as she could judge the situation, they dropped in the middle of the war. _The_ war. And this made her even more uncomfortable.

The party finally made it through the gates of Aldburg. There where no people on the streets as it was already late, just two hours from midnight. Apart from that, not many people really lived in Aldburg anymore. It was used frequently by Éomer and his Éored and a few housekeepers, cooks and servants lived here to make the fortified and more or less abandoned city a place livable. No one has resided here since King Eorl and his family had left Aldburg and moved to Edoras.

Suddenly they stopped and the young women were heaved down from the horses, standing on wobbly legs as they had been riding for hours, circulation somewhat being blocked by the ropes around their ankles. Amber looked around for her friend and saw her standing just five feet away from her. Leigh looked at her, her face as serious as it has never been before, telling Amber to keep it up and not let those men get her down, no matter how scared she was. Amber nodded and tried to show her friend something like an encouraging smile but with the gag still in her mouth it looked more like a grimace, which was more representative for her inner state than an actual smile would be.

"Where shall we take them, my Lord?" the soldier that had carried Amber on his horse shouted and grabbed her by the shoulders. She slightly flinched, as his grip was firm, almost hurting her shoulders.

"Take them inside for questioning," Éomer shouted above the heads of his Éored and directed his horse Firefoot into the stables. The soldier nodded, then he bent down to undo the ropes so that Amber and Leigh could walk.

"Walk," he demanded and briskly pushed them forward, another man followed them. Amber and Leigh changed a wide eyed look as they did not know much about interrogation techniques in Rohan. Images of all the torturing techniques Amber knew ran through her head and she felt her head spin as they where taken through many hallways made of solid rock, lit by torches hanging on the walls. Finally, the soldier opened a wooden door pushing the girls inside.

It was almost empty. A few chairs stood around a square wooden table and the girls where told to sit down. Their ropes got untied just to be tied back behind the back of the chairs as soon as they sat, the gags where removed and the men left. Then they sat there in an almost dark room, a few candles on the table the only lightsource. Leigh was the first one to speak.

"I guess they're not going to hurt us," she said, her voice sounding dry. "They wouldn't have brought us into such an empty room if they wanted to." Amber slowly nodded, trying to calm her heartbeat whose heartrate had nearly tripled.

"I hope so," she said, trying to collect some saliva in her mouth that was dry from the rag that had been in her mouth. "But what are we supposed to tell them? I mean, I can't even realize myself that we are in freaking Middle Earth because who-knows-what and now we are supposed to tell them, that we are what? Innocent travelers? How on earth shall we do that?" Leigh simply shrugged, her eyes looking sad

"I have no idea. I guess, we'll have to improvise."

Just in this moment the wooden door opened again and the man seeming to be Éomer stepped inside with broad steps. Before he closed the door behind him, he mumbled something to the two men still standing outside, then he turned to the young women.

"Let us try this one more time," he said, voice sounding demanding, while he sat down on the other side of the table. "Tell me your names and the business that brought you to our lands." Amber and Leigh shifted uncomfortably in their seats, then the younger one began to speak.

"My name is Amber and this is my friend Leigh," she said, gesturing in her friend's direction with a nod of her head. It would not hurt to tell him the truth as any story they would make up now would get them in even more trouble. Or so they both thought.

"You carry strange names, wear strange clothes," Èomer said looking at them quizzical, "and you speak in a manner I have never heared before, still it seems to be the common tongue." He looked at them both, then shook his head. "Now tell me, where do you come from and what is your business?"

"We told you! We're from far away and I doubt you have ever heared of that place before," Leigh said, looking at the man with wide eyes. This would be a handful, telling a man from Middle Earth that they seemingly came from another world. Not an easy task.

"It's pretty far away, too. And... we got kind of lost?" Éomer did not look convinced. He felt kind of lost, a feeling, that made him uneasy as he always knew exactly what to do. But this time it was different. His instincts had already told him, that these two young women would pose no threat, at least for now. In his eyes, they were strange young women, very confused, but not dangerous.

"You got lost?" he asked, crossing his armes before his armored chest. "You have been traveling then. Without horses. Without baggage. No food. No water."

"Well, no, not really..." Amber mumbled, but Leigh cut her off.

"I think someone kidnapped us," she yelled, eyes wide, "and we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere." Éomer felt the patience he had kept alive wane slowly and the women could sense that he did not plan on questioning them forever. They needed a way to convince him quickly that they meant no harm, simply needing a way to get home.

But at some point in all this madness, the odds had turned to be finally in their favor as loud voices could be heared outside the small room and finally the door crashed open.

"You fools," bellowed a loud and intimidating voice, "what have you done? Untie them!"

The girls looked in awe at the man who stepped in, long staff in one hand, a long grey beard and hair with a robe the same color and a big pointed hat. There was no mistaking, before them in all his might stood Gandalf the Grey, his brows furrowd, blue eyes pierced with fury. Éomer got up and watched as his men untied Leigh and Amber.

"What does this mean, Gandalf Greyhame," he spat and looked at the old wizard, feeling somehow overrun, "explain yourself!"

"You will get your explanation, Éomer son of Éomund," Gandalf said, not taking his eyes of the young women, sitting in their chairs and rubbing their wrists which were sore from the ropes, "but first I will have a word with the two of you. In private." He ushered the other men out of the room, Éomer swearing under his breath on how the old wizard dared to treat him. Still he had too much respect towards Gandalf and thought highly of his wisdom and power. But still, entering his domain, dealing with his prisoners and doing as he pleased was nothing Èomer was used to. And certainly nothing he liked very much.

Gandalf waited until the hallway was quiet again, then he closed the door and took a seat on the chair Éomer had left just moments ago. He looked at them for a long time not saying a word and still niether Leigh nor Amber felt uncomfortable. If so, the presence of the old wizard was rather calming and put them at ease.

"Well, well," he said, now smiling at them, "you must be utterly confused!" The two girls nodded, still not daring to say a word. "Then, I want you two to answer my following questions truthfully and you will get your questions answered as well as far as I hold the knowledge to do so."

Again, Leigh and Amber nodded, Gandalf just smiled wider, also nodding.

"Good, then, what are your names?"

"My name is Amber Johnson, and this is my friend Leigh Evans," Amber said, as Leigh did not attempt to answer.

"And where do you come from, Amber of Johnson?"

"Boston. The United States of America."

"Hmm. This is indeed curious," Gandalf mumbled, stroking his long grey beard. "And how did you get here?"

Amber and Leigh sighed in unison and started to explain everything, from beginning to end. How they met at the café, how they both blacked out and woke up in the middle of Rohan. How Éomer and his Éored had picked them up and brought them here, to Aldburg. As they had finished their explanations, Gandalf looked at them again, his face unreadable.

"Then it is like the White Lady had predicted," he finally said, now sounding seriously worried, "you are from another world."

"Well, we got that far..." Leigh mumble. Amber elbowed her into the side giving her the infamous 'Don't be so rude'-look.

"You mean... Lady Galadriel?" Amber said, turning back to an half amused Gandalf, while Leigh shot her a dark look, rubbing the spot where her friend's elbow had hit her.

"Yes, indeed, Lady Galadriel," Gandalf said, now concerned, "and by knowing her it seems that it is far more worse than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

He let out a very long and deep sigh.

"This might take a while," he said and shifted in his chair, getting into a more comfortable position. "What do you know about this world?" Amber and Leigh looked at each other, Leigh shrugged and Amber nodded.

"Well, I, for my part, know... everything," she then said earning a confused look from the grey wizard.

"Everything? What do you mean by that?"

"As I said, everything. The past, the present and... the future," Amber added after a moment of hesetation.

That was something Gandalf had feared after meeting Lady Galadriel and having heard what she said. His fear seemed to be proven to be true by Amber's words and the worry in his eyes seemed to grow even more as Leigh nodded in agreement.

"I know a lot, too," Leigh mumbled, "but not as much as she does." Having read all the books Tolkien had written, Leigh had a great amount of knowledge about Middle Earth herself, but not like Amber who had studied the Lord of the Rings trilogy in every detail for university and has also read everything regarding Middle Earth that Tolkien has written.

"Still, even if you would only know one thing about the future of this world it would be a great threat." Gandalf's voice was grave and he seemed even more concerned as a minute ago. "The White Lady of Lórien herself has foretold the advent of one who holds all the knowledge about Middle Earth and its fate. That a once wise man will call upon the power to open the forbidden portal to the realm that hosts the one who knows all..." Suddenly sad, he looked at the young women, giving them a small smile.

"A portal?" Leigh asked, completly awestruck. The grey wizard nodded gravely and continued to speak.

"Magic as old as time itself that connects all the worlds, hosting every existing reality that is possible to exist and..."

"What?" With a yelp Leigh interrupted Gandalf's explanation, her features slightly amused, ignoring the dark look Amber gave her for butting in. "Don't tell me even in Middle Earth people deal with quantum physics!"

Gandalf now looked interested, seemingly forgetting that Leigh hat interrupted him.

"Quantum Physics? I have never heared of such a thing," he then said getting out his pipe, "would you mind to englighten me?" Suddenly Leigh looked off track as she did not reckon a reaction like that.

"Well... I can try," she offered, giving him a weak smile.

"Please do."

Leigh sat there a few moments, thinking, then she began to speak,

"You see... Scholars in our world think, that there are infinite worlds, parallel to our own with every possible history there is, that every future and every possible history is actually real, representing their very own world or universe," she stated, feeling really silly sitting there explaining Gandalf the Grey the basics of the many-worlds theory. "And it seems similar to that, what you just said."

Gandalf nodded in agreement. "It is exactly like you said, my child. But I guess the scholars of your world never found a way to break down the borders and connect two of those worlds, even for a short amount of time?"

Both Leigh and Amber shook their heads. No. That they would know.

"That is what I imagined," Gandalfs said, puffing his pipe. "But in Middle Earth exists an old magic that makes it possible to reach into those worlds and bring someone here, making him or her part of this world."

"But... who would do that?" Amber asked, her brain not being able to process this kind of information properly. Letting out a trail of smoke, Gandalf leaned foreward, his face filled with worry.

"There are not many living beings in this world capable of this kind of magic," he finally said, looking at his pipe, "but the only one who would do that is Saruman the White. I know he is capable of performing this magic, yet I never believed he would be so foolish."

Again Amber and Leigh looked at each other. Gandalf did not know yet that Saruman had betrayed him and all of Middle Earth. He did not know that Saruman had turned to the other side, now working for Mordor and all its evils. Gandalf continued to speak.

"However, Lady Galadriel told me, that his plan would not succeed, as the one who knows everything would have long passed from the realm opened and that the one speaking the spell would not know what enters out world."

"What do you mean? Saruman magicly brought us here by... by accident?" Amber's voice was dangerously high pitched and her eyes opened wide. Grimly Gandalf nodded

"It seems to be most likely, yes," he then said, again stroking his beard. "He failed to bring the one he intended to. But he brought you."

"And, how on earth did you know we where here?"

Gandalf looked at Leigh for a few moments, then he smiled. "Well, my child, Lady Galadriel would not be the one she is if her prophecies were not accurate." The women looked at him confused as they knew that the elves where powerful enough to look into the future and see what could happen, never entirely sure if it was true, what they saw.

"Do not worry. Looking into the future is something dangerous even for the elves and only because they can do it it does not mean that what they see will turn out to be true. To many things can change fate, it is too vague to tell such a thing," Gandalf then said, voicing their concerns. "But, if an actual prophecy is made, it always proves itself to be true. And as soon as I knew where you should appear, I left the land of the elves and made my way to Rohan as fast as my horse could carry me."

They sat in silence for a while. Amber and Leigh had to process the things Gandalf had told them. Even though he had explained some things, there where even more questions than before and neither of them was satisfied with the amount of knowledge they had so far. As for himself, Gandalf's worries about the White Lady's profecy had all become true. Saruman had managed to bring two people into this world who know more about its destiny than the Valar themselves. And that was not a good thing as it posed not only a big threat to the young women. It was possible that this knowledge would reach the wrong hands and that would threat all of Middle Earth. On the positive side, Saruman did not know yet whom he had brought to this world. And Gandalf would do his best to prevent him from learning.

Amber's voice suddenly cut through the silence of the room, saying out loud what Leigh had been silently asking herself.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, sounding tired. "Can you bring us back home?" Her face fell as she saw Gandalf's expression darken.

"I am afraid that, even if I had the power and knowledge to do so, no," he said gravely. "By taking you from your world, your complete existence has been vanished. All the memories, all the things you did and owned. Everything is gone as your destiny is now embedded into this world."

"W-w-wait a second..." Leigh murmured, her face dangerously pale, "do you want to say, that there is no way for us to get home, ever?"

With great concern, Gandalf looked at both of them. Amber had started shaking vigorously, her face even more white than her friend's. He almost could not bring it over himself to say it out loud as the horror in their faces of what he might say was far to great, even for him to handle. But there was no helping it.

"I am afraid it is true. There is no way for you to leave this world ever again."

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**Reviews pretty please? =)**


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three – Making Plans

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**DISCLAIMER:** None of this belongs to me. Only half the plotline and Amber and Leigh. The rest belongs to the great Master Tolkien.

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**Author's Note:** Well, that took longer than expected, but it's done! Again I want to thank all the favs, followers and reviewers (Spirited Mare and madamezou, thank you so much for dropping a review!) and of course all the secret readers. I can see you. ;) This chapter is a little longer than the previous ones and I tried to lighten it up a little, at least at the end. ;) So, enjoy the read and let me know what you think!

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There was silence for several moments as Gandalf's words slowly unfolded their meaning in the young womens' heads. They would have to be here forever. There was no way for them to get back home. Ever. But not only that was what filled them with horror and fear. Their families and friends, mother earth herself, everyone had forgotten who they were as Amber and Leigh had ceased to exist in their world. Gone. Every memory, everything they did. And there was no way to turn that around. They were forced here with a one way ticket and there was no way to return. They had joked about it, doing a sightseeing tour through Middle Earth, visiting Minas Tirith, Edoras, Rivendell and the Shire. But they were only jokes. Amber and Leigh did not believe in magic.

A loud crash broke the silence when Amber fell sideways from her chair crashing into the one next to her, unconscious, her face as white as a wall, cold sweat on her forehead. Leigh herself was in a dreamlike state, barely noticing her friend passing out. Gandalf jumped, rushing to Amber's side and shifted her in a more comfortable position. Carefully he lay a hand over her eyes and mumbled a few words in a language Leigh could not understand, but she could see how the color came back slowly into her friend's pale cheeks and her breathing became calm and steady. She was sleeping a dreamless sleep, at least for tonight.

Just in this moment the door opened again and Éomer stepped in. Having heard the noise he could not help but wonder if his help was needed and seeing one of the young women unconscious on the ground and the other one sitting in her chair, stiff as a tree trunk he knew he had picked just the right moment to interfere.

"What has happened?" he asked, his tone demanding, his gaze still fixed to the woman on the ground.

"They need to rest," Gandalf said simply. "I suggest you get chambers for them prepared. They will be in need of your care for a while." Éomer gave him a puzzled look but Gandalf rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I will tell you everything I know," he then said in a low tone, "but first we have to make sure they can sleep in peace. They suffered enough for today." Knitting his brows, Éomer looked at the old wizard, but then he nodded.

"Well then," he said, bending down to pick up still unconscious Amber, then looking at Leigh, "please, follow me. If you have the strength..." he added, after seeing the young woman's hands shaking and her far off look.

It took Leigh a few moments before she could control her wobbly legs and find the balance to walk without falling over. Then, more like a sleepwalker, she followed the tall man who walked in front of her with big steps. Her head was completely blank as they walked through the torch-lit hallways again and Leigh did not really notice anything going on around her. In her state of shock there could be an orc horde attacking Aldburg and she would not notice it. There was nothing.

Finally Éomer stopped nodding his head to a wooden door on the left side of the hallway. "You can use these chambers as long as you are staying here," he explained. Leigh nodded slowly, then her gaze fell upon her friend who still lay limp in Éomers arms.

"Will she stay in there?" Leigh asked, pointing to the door on the opposite side of the hallway. Éomer nodded. "Alright," and with that Leigh opened the door and stepped in. She did not take a look around as all she wanted to do was sleep and wake up the next morning in her own bed, finding out this was just a very realistic and long dream. If she told this to Amber, she would possibly go mad laughing. With slow steps she made her way to the large bed at the opposite of the room, covered in soft dark-green sheets. Leigh barely remembered to slip out of her sneakers, sitting on the edge of her new bed. Then she slipped underneath the blanket and was fast asleep before her head even touched the pillow.

Éomer had a few problems opening the door while still carrying the unconscious woman, but he somehow managed, half with one hand, half with his foot. He quickly made his way to the other side of the room where the bed stood and carefully put Amber down. She was fast asleep after Gandalf's treatment, her face squinting slightly as her body adjusted to the sudden softness underneath her. It took Éomer a few moments to figure out how to unlace those strange black shoes the young woman wore but he managed somehow, eyeing the unfamiliar black fabric and the soft white material which was rubber. Never in his whole life had he seen shoes like this and they seemed rather fragile to him, not made for traveling or fighting. Shaking his head he put the sneakers down beside the bed, then he pulled the blanket over Amber's now curled up figure. For a few moments Éomer stood next to her bed, looking at the now sleeping peacefully Amber and a sudden wave of empathy for the woman and her friend rushed over him. He shook his head, then left the room to return back to where Gandalf was still waiting for him.

"Now," Éomer said, sitting down at the table, opposite of the grey wizard, "I ask you to explain this... madness." Gandalf huffed grimly.

"Madness, indeed... And when I am done explaining you will consider this even more mad."

The young Marshall looked at him, arms crossed in front of his armoured chest. He did not even find the time to get rid of his armor and it seemed he had to wear it for a while more. Slowly nodding Éomer induced the wizard to speak.

Gandalf put down his pipe, leaning more towards the man in front of him with an earnest look. "What I will tell you know is hard to believe and understand," he opened not taking his gaze from the young warrior, "still every word I say is true and of great importance, thus no one but you and a few others will get to know the truth. With this day, a task has been put upon your shoulders and it is not an easy one."

"What task is it, that you speak of?" The wizard had a way in talking in riddles and mystic words, yet Éomer was a man who liked to face a problem head-on without further ado. He looked at the old man with brows knitted together in irritation, fingers drumming on his arm. If Gandalf had noticed his impatience, he would not show it.

"From now on you must do your very hardest to keep those women safe and protected, here, in Rohan," Gandalf stated but it did not help to clear the confusion in Éomer's head. If all it made it even worse.

"And why is that?" he then asked as the other man suddenly seemed lost in thought, not proceeding to speak.

"You must know, young Marshall, Arda is not their home," Gandalf said, earning an even more confused look from the other man. "They come from a realm named 'Earth', a world which is much different from ours but the knowledge about us is vast among their people."

Éomer felt the sudden urge to laugh but Gandalf's more than serious face stopped him. He was tempted to think of his words as absurd and ridiculous but then he knew that the grey wizard was never one to jest with serious matters and as far as Éomer could tell this was an especially serious matter. He convinced himself to believe the old man, as he still trusted him deeply.

"What?" Gandalf smiled a little, seeing the young man working everything out in his head. "Do you have trouble in believing my words?" Éomer shook his head and sighed.

"Your words might seem strange to a man who does not know who your are and what you are capable of, Gandalf," he then said, "but I trust you and your wisdom as does my uncle. You have never failed him and you will never fail me." The wizard seemed pleased by those sincere words and continued with his explanations.

"Good. Then you might find the thought of them knowing everything about Arda as unsettling as I do." Éomer nodded in agreement, his brows still knit together in worry.

"How do they know? And what power is great enough to bring them here?"

Gandalf told the Third Marshall of the Mark the same things he already told Leigh and Amber and what they had told him. The white Lady's prophecy and Saruman's unexpected foolishness, that he was not sure of yet, the portal connecting the two realms that has been opened and the great knowledge the two women hold over Arda and its fate. Éomer listened in awe as he had heard stories about the elves and their ability to see into the future, but has never believed in the existence of the white Lady of Lórien. It was a most unsettling feeling. Especially the part about Saruman the White who once was a trusted man to the Rohirrim but is not so anymore since a strange darkness has found its way into Isengard. Nevertheless, he was still a powerful wizard and Gandalf had told him, that he was indeed capable of working such magic. Still he had no proof that Saruman actually did it, only the very vague words of Galadriel's prophecy.

"You want me to protect them?" Éomer then asked after he had thought about Gandalf's words for a few minutes, bringing everything the wizard had said in line. Gandalf slowly nodded.

"Yes. Under all circumstances," he then said gravely. "And we will tell the king's son, your cousin. We will have to let him in to this secret but we must not let the king know." At this Éomer started to frown again.

"Why is that?" he said, his voice suddenly sharp. "Do you not trust my uncle, the King of Rohan?" Gandalf looked at him, suddenly sad.

"I do trust your uncle, Éomer," his words were quiet, "but I do not trust his 'advisor', Gríma Wormtounge who seems to have found a way into the King's mind." At that Éomer huffed scornfully.

"I do not trust this man either," he mumbled, thinking of his uncle, King Théoden, who was only a mere shadow of his former self since Gríma Wormtounge had set foot into the Golden Hall. "As much as I dislike it, I agree with you. We will not tell my uncle about the women."

"Oh, we will tell him," Gandalf said, "we will. But we will not tell him the truth nor anyone else but a few trustworthy people." Éomer did not seem too convinced.

"And what do you plan on telling him instead?" he asked, not liking the fact that he would have to lie to his uncle.

"That they are daughters of noble men from Gondor and that they had to flee to the kingdom of Rohan when their parents have been slaughtered by Mordor," Gandalf said simply. "It sounds simple but it is quite effective. It will give them a reason to live at the Golden Hall where you and the king's son can watch them closely without being suspicious. You need to teach them in the ways of your people, how to defend themselves in a fight, how to ride a horse. They need to "

Éomer thought this through for a moment but he soon realized, that the wizard's plan was not too bad. If the women where with him in Edoras he had various people to look after them, not only himself and Théodred, the king's son, but also his sister Éowyn and one or two other men he deeply trusted. He could keep a close look on them and if he was not at Edoras, there was someone else who could.

"Good. So be it," Éomer finally said, trying to ignore the alarming voice nagging in the back of his head. "But, as far as I recall, thier names do not sound gondorian. If they want to be convincing, they need different names, at least for the moment." Gandalf nodded.

"I will take care of that and think of something to cover up their identities," he said, stroking his beard in thought. "You will need to get them horses and proper clothing. By dawn we need to start with preparations."

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Amber woke to a slight knock on her door. Grumbling, she put her head underneath the soft green pillow. Images from a strange dream where still lingering inside her head. She and Leigh in Middle Earth, in Rohan. The thoght of that made her giggle. Another knock as she did not respond to the first.

"No mom... Five more minutes... Pleeeeeease!" she groaned. The door opened and Amber could hear the sound of light footsteps and the rustling of heavy fabric slightly touching the ground. Well, this was quite unfamiliar... She heard how heavy curtains were moved and could see the room lighten up under her pillows. Something seemed odd to her and slowly Amber removed the pillow, blinking against the bright sunlight.

"Good morning, My Lady," a small voice next to her bed said and sudden realization hit Amber like she had run into a brick wall. Suddenly she was wide awake, scanning her surroundings with round eyes. A fire crackling in a fireplace. A large bed with dark green sheets. Bare stone walls and a carpet next to her bed that looked more like bearskin. And standing at the foot of her bed a girl with long blond hair worked into a long braid. She wore a dark-brown dress made of a heavy-looking fabric without sleeves and a dirty-white undershirt. She had placed a bundle of clothes on a heavy chest at the foot of Amber's bed.

Pictures of last night's events appeared in Amber's mind and sudden realization struck her. She was in Middle Earth. No dreaming involved, everything was real. Gandalf's last words before she blacked out echoed in her head and suddenly Amber had to suppress the urge to cry. No way back, stuck in Middle Earth forever.

"Who... who are you?" she then asked the girl who looked like she was a few years younger and rubbed a hand over her now aching temples.

"I am here to help you get dressed, My Lady," she said, pointing to the clothes lying next to her. Amber slowly nodded shoving the blankets away and swinging her legs out of the bed. Grimly she thought, that being treated like that was something she should get used to, now that she was stuck in a world with a rather medieval society. Better starting now than making a fuss being refered to as 'My Lady' and getting help with her clothes.

The dressing itself was rather complex and Amber was thankful to have the maid who helped her deal with all those garments she had no idea of. Still it made her somewhat uncomfortable having a stranger seeing her half-naked and invade her personal sphere of privacy. After what felt like forever Amber was dressed in a simple dark-green dress with long and wide sleeves almost touching the ground. There was no embroidery, only a few simple buttons of a earthy-brown wood down the front and a leather belt in the same color. It felt strange and heavy and when she did her first steps she almost stumbled because of all the undershirts and the weight of the fabric.

After the maid had brushed her hair, Amber rushed out of her room almost crashing into her best friend who had just stepped outside on the corridor. Leigh was dressed in a dark maroon-colored gown with the same long sleeves Amber had to fight with. They looked at each other a few moments, then Leigh gave Amber a crooked smile.

"So... we're still here," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Yeah," Amber grumbled, "unfortunately it wasn't just a bad dream..."

They started to walk next to each other in silence with no specific direction in mind, each of them caught in their own train of thought. It still has not completely sunk in that this was supposed to be their new home, that they were inhabitants of Middle Earth from now on. To both of them it felt more like a swift visit and that they would leave here soon enough. They knew, that this was not going to happen, but, as long as they did not actually understand that matter it was not as painful.

"She called me 'My Lady'," Leigh suddenly said to break the silence. Amber sighed.

"Me too... And she dressed me completely, seeing me like only men usually do." At that Leigh hat to laugh, a strange feeling, overshadowing that numbness she had felt when she woke up that morning. With a sad smile she looked at Amber.

"Ambs, I'm so glad that you're with me," she then said, feeling a lump form in her throat, "I wouldn't know how I'm supposed to get through this alone." Amber returned her smile and linked arms with Leigh.

"I know. I'm as glad as you. Makes me feel less alone."

"But... you have to admit, the 'My Lady' part is wierd as heck," Leigh said, shaking her head, "and, you know, that dress is killing me! It's so tight!"

"Time to lose some weight, Miss Chubby," Amber teased and poked Leigh into her side, making her giggle. Again they looked at each other. Yes. With the help of each other they would be able to get trough this. They had gone trough so much together and even if this was the most severe test of their friendship Amber and Leigh both knew that alone they had no chance.

"There you are!" They stopped in their tracks, only to see Éomer standing right in front of them, an unnerved look on his face.

"Yes, there we are," Amber said looking at him questioningly. "Were you looking for us?" Éomer gave her a stern look. If they were supposed to learn the ways of his people to fit in, they'd better start now.

"It is 'My Lord'," he said, "'Were you looking for us, My Lord'." Leigh had to suppress a giggle at the look Amber shot the young Marshall. "You need to learn how to properly speak to higher ranking people. Now, please follow me, _My Lady_."

Amber made a rude gesture in direction of Éomer's back, where a burgundy colored tunic now covered his broad shoulders instead of heavy armor, but they followed him without further ado and to avoid falling into disgrace with the Third Marshall. For the most of the way Éomer ignored the two women, feeling unnerved and annoyed. Their rude manner of speaking was alien to him and it resembled more the way of a man than a woman. Yet they were from a different place and would have to learn how to behave themselves.

Finally they arrived at a private dining room with a large window facing the mountains and a large wooden table standing in front of a warm crackling fire. Gandalf already sat there, enjoying his breakfast.

"Ah, you finally found your way here," he said after noticing the two women and Éomer, "sit down and eat. We have a lot to do this morning."

A little uncertain Amber and Leigh sat down on two wooden chairs behind simple brass plates. On the table sat fresh white bread, different cheeses and meat, some apples and grapes in a big wooden bowl and a pitcher filled with water. They ate in silence.

When they had finished, two maids rushed in to put away the empty dishes and vanished through a small door at the back of the room. Gandalf lit his pipe, Éomer looked tense and Amber and Leigh did not know what to say or do. They just sat at the table, looking at each other, the wall, the fire or the window. Until Gandalf began to speak.

"Well then, I hope you had a quiet night and could recover from yesterday's shock," he then said, looking at Amber and Leigh in turn.

"Well, you got the sleeping part right," Amber said, smiling lopsided, "but the shock, well, it's hard to get, you know?" From the way she was speaking Gandalf did not understand everything she said, but he understood the meaning. He nodded, as he knew it would take the two of them a while to get settled in.

"I understand, I understand," he said, "but as much as I would like to give you more time, I cannot do that. We have to start to work on your safety and your cover, why you are here and where you come from to convince the other people."

"I guess you won't tell the people we're from another world, right?" Leigh asked, one eyebrow lifted. Gandalf shook his head no.

"Of course not. That would put the both of you and all of Arda in great danger," he then said with a grave look. "We will only tell Prince Théoden and Lady Éowyn, who is Lord Èomer's younger sister. I will leave for Edoras as soon as we have settled everything here."

"We'll not stay here?" Amber asked, shooting him an incredulous look. "I mean, isn't Edoras too dangerous with Gríma Wormtounge lurking around and... stuff?" She could barely stop herself from adding "...and Saruman infiltrating the kingdom." but she knew better than blurting out important information about the future. Gandalf seemed to not know about Saruman's treason yet. The grey wizard chuckled slightly, Éomer just looked stunned and shot Amber a surprised look. So Gandalf was right. They knew about the things going on in the Golden Hall.

"If you pursue our plan he shall not pose any threat," Gandalf then said, "I have already thought out a simple yet safe way for the two of you."

Then he started telling them the same thing he had talked about with Éomer the night before. How they were supposed to be young noble women from gondorian families who lost everyone due to an attack of Mordor's forces. How they have fled their land and sought shelter in Rohan. That Éomer was responsible for their safety in Edoras and that they were supposed to learn more about Arda, how to fight and ride and how to stay hidden and protected from the enemy.

"Do you understand how important it is, that you tell no one about his or her destiny? That you lose no word about the future?" Gandalf then asked urgently. "I do not know if you have already altered the fate of someone only by being here and meeting people who are not supposed to know you."

"We try to do our best," Amber said, trying to sound sincere but her voice was shaking, "we will not say anything to anybody." They sure did not take the situation lightly and they won't be as foolish as to blurt everything out at the next moment.

"Yeah! We promise!" Leigh added and put one hand on her heart as to swear an oath. "We know the responsibility that comes with knowing as much as we know, trust me, we've seen enough movies."

At the word 'movies' Gandalf and Éomer exchanged a puzzled look but decided not to ask.

"Good, good," Gandalf finally said and cleared his throat, "you will leave at dusk. The dark of the night will be your shield to slip into Edoras as unnoticed as possible. I will await you there." He seemed to think for a few moments as if to remember if he had forgotten something to tell them, then he nodded to himself, slowly.

"The last thing you will have to know is, that both of you will travel under different names," he explained and Amber and Leigh exchanged a short look. "Your names are highly uncommon in this world and as Gondorians you need gondorian names." He handed the two young women each a small piece of parchment.

"These names you will use in front of people who do not know your secret. It is important that you memorize everything I wrote down for you." Gandalf pointed to the parchments, then he got up from his chair and looked at them, his face concerned, but he said nothing more, just gave a short nod to Éomer and made his way to the door.

"I will await you in Edoras!" And with that the old wizard left, closing the door behind him.

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"So... what do you think of that?" Amber asked, waving her parchment around casually. Leigh brushed one of her rusty-brown curls out of her face and shrugged.

"It will take some getting used to introducing myself with 'Nanneth Tannethiel'. Sounds pretty elvish if you ask me," she said, scanning the names on her parchment again which described her parents and siblings.

"Well," Amber said, looking thoughtful, "that's not surprising. The people of Gondor always used names of the Sindarin language. But don't ask my why I have no idea..."

"Whatever..." Leigh sighed and rolled on her back, staring at the ceiling. After breakfast they had set up their camp in Amber's chambers to study the papers Gandalf had given them and to talk about everything that had happened. But still they avoided the topic about them being stuck here forever. None of them wanted to talk about it, even though it had never left their heads.

"So, what's your name again?" Leigh asked with a cocked eyebrow. With one swift motion Amber got up from her chair and fell into a deep curtsy.

"I am Lady Linaewen Eluníthiel. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance," she said theatrical and her friend started to laugh.

"Well, you've always been the drama queen, Ambs," Leigh said sitting up. She then looked at her friend seriously while Amber fell back into her chair, waving her hand as to shoo away a fly.

"And... what do you think of all... this," Leigh said after a moment of silence, making a wide gesture. Amber only shrugged.

"In the movies it all seemed way more cool," she said with a sigh,"and nobody told you that you'd have to sit on a big box with a deep hole in it to do your business..." Remembering her first experiences with Rohirric restroom conventions Amber still had to shudder. "I can't believe we have to use this... thunderbox for the rest of our lives," she said darkly not wanting to think of what would happen if that special time of the month came...

"Please... stop," Leigh said shuddering, having just the same thoughts as her friend, "that's disgusting and I just had breakfast."

"But, apart from that," Amber continued to answer her friend's question, "I don't really know. There's no electricity, no running water. The landscape is beautiful and we have maids helping us get dressed into these beautiful and heavy gowns, calling us 'My Lady' without us being real noble women. And Éomer seems pretty... stuck up. Not like I remember him from the books or the movies..." Grimly she thought about their encounter in the morning. She was still sulky.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad," Leigh laughed and her friend's pouting face, "you can be grateful that he didn't kill us out there!" Curling her lips Amber seemed to think for a few moments, then she nodded her head in agreement.

"You're probably right," she then said, "I guess he's just stressed out because of all the commotion we caused. After all, he's going to have to spend a lot of time with us in the near future. I'd be mad at that too."

"Yeah, especially with a nutcase like you..." Leigh mumbled.

"I did not hear that," Amber said, holding her nose up high. "Apart from that," she then grinned, "he's pretty fit, you know? In the British sense of the word. If he starts being nice I will surely get the hots for him." Wiggling her eyebrows suggestively she looked at Leigh and a few moments later they collapsed on the bed, laughing. And at that moment, it seemed like nothing had changed.


End file.
